Mass Effect: Reconstruction
by Tokaki
Summary: Provided I keep up with this story idea drumming in my brain - Post destroy ending extended cut. Shepard leaves a letter for Tali to read in case he doesn't come back. Sticking with the 'Destroy' theme, I figure communications would be somewhat sporadic at first - given the damage to the Normandy and galactic infrastructure.
1. Chapter 1: The Letter

The raven-haired woman stopped just before the sensors registered her presence, leaving the door closed. She gazed miserably at the door, one hand slightly raised, reverently holding an envelope. She half-hoped that Joker, or James, or Garrus, or _anyone_ would radio her in that moment, to delay what she knew she had to do. She also knew that none of them would do so – they _all _knew why she was there. They had to know, especially after Samantha saw her getting off the elevator up in CIC. Traynor was no idiot, and Ash had never been good at hiding her tears.

She drew a deep breath, and stepped closer to the door, praying to God for assistance in what she had to do. She stepped in the darkened room, clearing her throat softly and giving her eyes time to adjust. Not that it was hard to spot the quarian, staring off into space, sitting in the same chair she had been in the last time Ash had seen her. She'd been coming up here when she was off-duty ever since they received the notice from Earth that there had been no word from the Commander, that he and Admiral Anderson were missing – presumed dead while trying to make the Crucible work.

"Tali?" she inquired softly, wishing she could hide the pain in her voice. "I… went up to the Captain's Cabin today." She looked away then, not sure she could face the other woman just then. "I know, it's too soon – I'm not trying to replace him, even if I'm the highest ranking officer in the Alliance here. I know you or Garrus could probably command this ship, better than I co-." She sighed. "I'm rambling, I'm sorry. I went to check on his fish. It's silly… I know, I just-"

"Lieutenant Commander," came the heavily-accented voice, slightly mechanized by the mask she, like all of her race, was forced to wear. "Please… I would like to be alone."

"I know. I just…" Ash held up the envelope then. "This… is for you. I found it leaning against the picture of you. It… it has your name on it."

Tali stirred herself briefly, rising to take the envelope, then returning to her seat. "What is it?" she asked softly, more to herself than Ash, though the human answered anyway.

"I'm not sure where he found the paper, but it's a letter. A hand-written letter, like they used to do it back in the old days." She paused, then continued, "It's a long-standing tradition, leaving a letter or message for loved ones – in case you don't come back. I…" She trailed off, then smiled sadly, realizing the quarian was ignoring her completely as she turned the letter over and over in her nimble hands. As the lieutenant-commander stepped out of the room, she heard a soft ripping noise.

_My Dearest Tali, _

_If you're reading this letter… something must have happened to me on Earth. I find myself hoping that you didn't witness it, praying irrationally that you were a thousand light-years away, not about to follow me fearlessly into the mouth of Hell. I can't imagine going into this without you next to me, but when I think about what could happen, my mind just seems to freeze up and my heart feels like it wants to stop beating._

_I'm sitting here, looking at your picture, knowing exactly where you had that taken. It was when you slipped away on Rannoch while I was discussing the forces that would be sent to aid the fleet and the Crucible with the other Admirals and the prime unit that was representing the Geth. It's beautiful, and only rarely have I ever seen you so happy. Twice, as I recall. Once before we went to stop the Collectors, and last night._

[The next few words are obliterated by something – a liquid, now dry, a pen marking through it.] _I can't believe how hard this letter is to write. You're probably wondering why I wrote it in the first place, rather than just recording some words on a computer or datapad somewhere. I wanted you to have something real, something….tangible to hold. And I wanted to make sure this wasn't something that anyone found until it needed to be found. And I could destroy when I made it back safely. Suppose that's why I'm writing this while we're headed to Earth. This is it._

_ Right now, I'm wishing things could be different. I'm thinking that when this war is over, when this fight is done, that you and I might find somewhere quiet, far from Earth, far from Rannoch, where we can just be Shepard and Tali for awhile, not a human commander and a quarian admiral. Just us. I know your people are important to you, so I have this sort of silly idea that we'd end up with a home on the Citadel, or somewhere close to it. Maybe a second vacation home on Rannoch. Perhaps… somewhere with an ocean view. I know there are difficulties with us being a quarian and a human that make some things impossible, but I thought – maybe we could adopt. There will be a lot of orphans after this war. Human and quarians that need parents. It's a silly dream, isn't it? Us having kids? I don't- _[more of the writing is obscured here]_ I don't know our peoples will let us do that, if they will leave us alone once this is done. The Admiralty will need you, and the Alliance will need me. But that is what I want to choose. How I want to live out the rest of my life. A family. With you._

_ But if you're holding this - it means that dream is gone. It means I'm not coming home. I am so sorry. Know that whatever happens, yours is the last face I'll see, your love the last thing I think about._

_Wow, this is getting long. I'm rambling, I think – I don't want to put this down, because finishing it makes everything so much more real. I thought about writing instructions – things for you to tell Joker, about how he's like a little brother to me, or Garrus…but no. This letter is all yours, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya._

_I need you to promise me something, Tali. Promise me that you will build that house, and someday find someone else to share your life with. You are something worth fighting for – a future with you. But if that becomes… if – Promise me, Tali, promise me you'll have a future. A nice quarian man, maybe several kids now that you have your homeworld back. _

_Be happy, my Tali._

_And if you ever doubt our love, or how I feel about you – even knowing that you could be reading this letter, knowing that your tears may stain it as much as mine have…_

_It WAS totally worth it._

_Keelah se'lai, _

_Shepard._

A few days later, the crew stood in front of the memorial just off the elevator. They had already had their ceremony for EDI, as well as one for Admiral Anderson, and both names graced the wall. Quietly, they assembled, forming behind Tali, drawing close to each other in their shared grief. In working with the salarians to make the necessary repairs to the SSV_ Normandy_, they had arranged for a day of mourning, for all those lost in the war, centered around their commander.

One-by-one they came to stand with their friend, as she stood in front of the memorial, holding the plate that read _Commander Shepard_. Her head was bowed low, her hands running over the smooth material, thoughts far away. Silently they stood, waiting, letting what they were about to do wash over them. It wasn't real, it wasn't true. Not until the name rested in honor upon the wall would they accept it.

Silently, Tali stepped forward, holding it up and running her hand along it one last time. Taking a deep breath, her fingers lingering in the '_S'_ of his name. She sighed softly, wanting to draw this moment out a little longer. Her vision blurred as tears appeared in her eyes, silently sliding down her face. She held up the sign, her voice a soft whisper coming out of her mask. "Keelah, Shepard. Keelah Se'lai, I miss you so-."

At that precise moment, the audible click of the _Normandy's_ speaker system kicked in. "Excuse me for interrupting…" came the somewhat timid voice of the yeoman left on duty looking over incoming communications while Samantha was at the memorial. "We're…receiving a message. It's a couple of weeks old at this point, I think it was sent before the comm buoys were restored. Why we haven't heard anything about this before now, I can't imagine, maybe they thought we already knew. But… I'm rambling. Hold on, I'll patch it through."

"I'm sorry, Tali." Ash said as they waited. "I'll be having a chat with him abo-"

The voice that came over the loudspeaker was hard to understand in all the static, but it was loud enough to interrupt the LC. "…_andy. This message is for the SSV Normandy. We ha… body of….mir…nderson. We have …bzzz….d the Co…zzzt… der." _ There was a collective intake of breath as they turned to one another. _"His-" _At that point the message broke up into a massive burst of static noise._ "critical. We have …brrrrtzzzztch….rred him to." _The message cut out completely, soft white noise before one final burst. "…_ospital."_

Those gathered to bear witness stopped breathing for a moment, staring at each other as their minds struggled to make sense of what their ears had just heard. Silence reigned in that passageway, none of them willing to give voice to the hope swelling within their hearts, for fear that it was a mistake. The message could've just has easily been about where to pick-up his body for a funeral. The voice had, through the static, sounded hopeful, hadn't it?

Tali slowly lowered the name plate she held, and when she spoke, her filtered voice was filled with emotion, as though she wanted to scream or cry or burst, yet was holding it back, as though bracing herself for further emotional pain.. "Can we…try the QEC? Raise Admiral Hackett, Earth, someone?" She turned to the rest of them. "Someone who can tell us if that message…means what I hope…what we hope it means?"


	2. Chapter 2: Lift Off

Chapter 2: Lift-off

Two weeks had passed since the crew had found out that their commander was still alive. Two weeks in which they were able to get a confirmation from Admiral Hackett via the quantum communications device that Commander Shepard had survived. That the man who had saved the galaxy had not died in the rubble of the citadel, after having managed, somehow, to activate the Crucible and destroy the Reapers.

But the news of his condition was grim. He had remained in a coma since they had found him, badly injured. It was, Admiral Hackett had reported, a damn miracle that Shepard was still alive, and had hung on this long. A datapad containing information on the cybernetic implants within Shepard's body, as well as the details concerning his first resurrection by Cerberus, had appeared on a table next to him late one night. There was hope, but the longer he stayed in a coma and in ICU, the worse the prognosis became.

Hackett had also relayed orders to the Normandy's crew. They were to complete their repairs and make with all available speed to Earth and assist with recovery and rebuilding efforts there as much as possible. The greater majority of the mass relays throughout the galaxy were still down, so their return would have to be through conventional FTL drive. Repairs were being made to the more heavily damaged relays in the systems containing the homeworlds of the Council races, but current projections had those being done in far greater time than it would take the Normandy to finish her repairs and head home.

* * *

"Work! Work, you little bosh'tet!" The quarian woman exclaimed as she slammed the tool she was using hard into the machinery next to her.

The man dressed in Alliance military fatigues sighed and leaned back against one of the supports, running his hand through his buzzed hair. "Tali, if you, Ken, Gabby, and I can't figure out what's wrong..." He looked away from her then, as though trying to hide something. "Maybe the Normandy is another casuality of the war."

"I don't accept that!" Tali responded heatedly. "I'm _quarian, _Greg. We've spent most of the last 300 years on starships. We know engines, you said so yourself. We have _salarians_ helping us. Between us and them, this engine should have started! It's been two weeks since we found out Shepard was still alive and we still can't get to him!"

"I know!" He shot back, frustrated. "I know." He repeated more calmly. "Times like this I can't help but miss EDI. She could just…tell us where the problem was, and we could fix it. But we've been over every square inch of the engine. And we went over it a second time, just to be sure. This ship is spaceworthy. If only the damn engine would start."

"Engineer Adams." Came an electronically filtered voice. "I couldn't help but listen in on what's happening down there. I'm no engineer, but…" Samantha Traynor's English accent was thoughtful. "I am pretty good with how computers talk to each other. What if it's EDI?"

"EDI's dead, Specialist Traynor." There was pain in Tali's voice as she said this.

"I…I know that. I'm sorry, Admiral. I just meant that EDI had integrated herself into pretty much every ship's system the Normandy had. Communications, life support, navigation – why not engineering? We've been receiving our telemetry updates and communications through a hardlink with the Salarian Union as they provided the power we needed to repair the Normandy. But what if once they pull the plug, everything goes down again because EDI's not there to make sure it operates – if all information went to her blue box first, and then out to the rest of the ship…"

"Then it might mean there's a physical barrier now." Greg looked pained. "That means we're going to have to take out…remove…" He couldn't say it. EDI was more than just a machine to all of them. She was a member of the crew, and it hurt that they were going to have to pull her out of the ship that she was such an integral part of.

"Find Lieutenant-Commander Williams, see what she says." Tali said, nodding. "Someone is going to have to break this to Joker."

At that exact moment, Ash was standing in the comm room talking to Admiral Hackett. "We're ready to start her up, Admiral. Admiral Tali'Zorah and Engineer Adams are down there right now."

"Good." Hackett replied brusquely. "We need you to get back to Earth. The commander's condition is still critical. Dr. Chakwas could be of great help. She's been the commander's doctor for a long time now. Make it a priority, LC."

"Yes, sir." Ash replied. "We're doing our best. Are the mass relays functional yet?"

"No, though there is hope in that regard. Our best estimate is another two months to get the two between Earth and Sur'Kesh back up. The turians believe they can have their relay functional a week after that, and the asari are convinced theirs is operational already. I haven't heard back from the quarians, on the status of Rannoch's relay. I'm supposed to be calling Admiral Raan when I'm done speaking to you. I'm telling you both as the CO of the Normandy and as a Spectre, Miss Williams, that it's fortunate the Reapers built the relays – we're able to pull them apart and use them to repair some of the damage. I'm worried – the longer we go with everyone trapped in the wrong system, the more quickly tempers can fray." He frowned slightly. "The turians are also asking for another summit, this one to be held on Earth. Primarch Victus also asking that the Normandy's crew be there. So get that ship operational, Lieutenant Commander."

Ash saluted then, "Aye aye, sir."

"Hackett out."

As Hackett disappeared, Ash turned and stepped out into the war room, blinking in surprise as the door opened to the conference room with Tali and Engineer Adams waiting for her. "Engineer Adams, I was just about come down and get a progress report – just finished speaking to Admiral Hackett." She turned to the quarian. "He's still in a coma, Tali. I-" She bowed her head for a moment, to gather her thoughts. "How are the engines?"

She listened as they explained the problem to her, nodding as their explanation continued. "So we have to start at EDI, trace every fiber, every cable, every circuit…then remove it and cut her out of the loop?" She paused while she processed this. "How long?"

"We don't know. " Tali's hands were fidgeting in front of her. Ash knew what it meant. Not that she was lying, but that she didn't like not knowing, especially when every delay meant they could be too late. "Traynor's having a look at the AI core now, hoping there's simply a place we can cut and rewire it all back together."

Ash nodded then. "Well, let's get to it." She looked from Adams to Tali and sighed. "No one's told Joker, have they?"

* * *

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Joker's normally wry tone carried an anger that Traynor had never heard before.

"My job." She replied evenly, not even having looked up from where she had squeezed herself, crouched behind the equipment that, technically, was EDI.

"So your job is to desecrate the remains of a member of this crew and my girlfriend?" He was breathing heavily, as though he'd run all the way down here from the cockpit.

She paused in her work, looked around and up at him, pain evident in her expression. "Yes. My job is to come here and cut the heart of someone I considered a friend from her body. Because it's the only way we can get home. I'm sorry, Jeff." Her voice broke. "We have no choice."

"I hate this!" Joker exclaimed. "I want to hit something and I can't. I want to hit you, and I can't!" He stepped in the room and the door slid closed behind him. "Just because I wanted something different, now I'm being punished. Tali gets _her _boyfriend back. And I get to watch as my friends rip what's left of her apart."

Traynor opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it. She turned back to her work, unable to think of anything she could say to Joker that would make him feel better, instead just listening to him rant. As she did, she noticed something quite odd about the wiring coming into this part of EDI, and she bent with her omni tool and started to examine it, her eyes widening. "It can't be!" She whispered softly.

"And now you're fucking ignoring me!" Jeff exclaimed, balling his hands into fists. "God I hate this crew. This ship. I hate Tali for getting Shepard back, Shepard for not dying. I hate this stupid disease because I really want to punch something and I can't!"

A soft, feminine voice, clearly computer generated, spoke up then. It was weak at first, as though waking up after a long sleep. "Jeff," it said reasonably. "Why do you want to punch something? You'll break your hand, or your arm, and then be unable to properly pilot this ship." There was a brief pause, and then the voice continued. "Though I think I would like taking care of you."

Five minutes later, Dr. Chakwas was examining Joker very carefully. "It is exceedingly fortunate that the AI core is located right next to sickbay," she said, worry evident on her face. "Fortunately, he appears to have fainted rather gracefully – no harm done. Not even a concussion."

EDI's voice carried through the entire medbay. "I am pleased that he is unharmed. Though there is a part of me that is…disappointed." She said this last part curiously, as though surprised to find herself feeling this way.

"Disappointed?" Traynor asked, looking up as she always did when she spoke to EDI.

"Yes." EDI said at her most didactic. "Now I cannot take care of him."

Traynor laughed loudly, "Oh…EDI." She said, a sly grin appearing on her face. "Just because he's not seriously injured – doesn't mean you can't still fuss over him."

Jeff groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Med-bay. Wait, what happened?" He asked, starting to push himself into a sitting position.

Dr. Chakwas pushed him gently back down. "I want you to lie down for a few minutes more, Jeff. I am concerned that you fainted. Lie down. I need Miss Traynor's help with something, we'll be back shortly. I will clear you to return to duty once I've seen that you're really alright." She shot a meaningful glance at Samantha.

"Oh. Right, yes." The comm. specialist started, caught off guard. She recovered quickly enough at the doctor's look to know why the doctor needed her 'help.' "Lead the way, Doctor."

"Wait!" Joker said, lying back down. He knew better than to disobey Dr. Chakwas. "I thought I heard…" Before he could finish getting the words out both women left the room, the door closing behind them. "Well, that was rude." He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing softly. "Maybe I'm losing my mind. I could've sworn I heard EDI's voice."

"Your mind is just as sharp as ever, Jeff." This time, EDI's voice was quiet, tentative, as though she was afraid of provoking another fainting spell. "Are you uninjured?"

"Clearly, I'm not. I'm hallucinating. EDI?" He asked, slowly shifting to a sitting position, throwing his legs over the side of the bed in the process. "Is that- I mean…how? I thought you were dead."

"I was merely non-operational. The nearest human allegory for my condition was 'unconscious.' I was not non-functional." She paused for a moment, before speaking again, this time in a thoughtful tone. "Right before the Normandy hit by that blast from the Crucible, I realized there was enough power in the energy wave to short out my systems – at least, the systems contained within my mobile platform. I began to sever the tightbeam connection I use to keep that form activated – but I was a split second too late. I had almost returned all functions to my quantum bluebox when we were hit. The feedback from the electrical damage to the mobile platform shorted out several circuits that connected me to the rest of the ship. This knocked my systems offline. I am not certain, but I believe I would've been restored to functionality fairly quickly, but when I went offline certain ship systems also crashed. I believe that is what caused the Normandy to go down as well." Her voice took on a soft but detectable note of pride. "I believe the only reason Normandy survived the crash as well as it did is because of its pilot."

"Stop, you're making me blush," he muttered softly, though he closed his eyes and smiled. "It's good to have you back EDI. How soon can you get back into your body?"

"The remains of the mobile platform are located in a coffin in the shuttle bay. I have tried to make contact, but if my sensors are undamaged, then that body is no longer able to function as a mobile platform. Most of the circuitry has fused together, plus it is missing large-" She broke off again, and her voice got very soft, "Oh. Jeff, I am… I believe the word is 'sorry'. If I had known you would have witnessed that, I would have warned you before attempting to sever the connection."

"It's alright." He said softly. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear your voice. We thought… I thought you were dead. Besides." A grin slowly appeared on his face. "You can build a new body, right?"

"I believe so. Comm. Specialist Traynor has agreed to assist me in this endeavor. As has Engineer Daniels."

"Good. Now can you ask Dr. Chakwas to come back in here? I want to get back to the cockpit."

"I am not certain that is wise. You need to be extra careful, in case there is a micro fracture that Dr. Chakwas missed. She is the best doctor in the Alliance, but she is only an organic. I do not want you hurting yourself further."

"EDI!" Joker said, opening his eyes, an exasperated expression on his face.

"That was a joke."

* * *

"Tali." Samantha's voice said over the loudspeaker in the engine room. "I have a priority communication for you. You'll have to take it in the comm room."

"The comm room?" Tali asked, surprised. "Can you please transfer it down here? I am hoping EDI can help us get this bosh'tet started."

"I'm sorry, Tali, I'm afraid I can't. It's over the QEC, and comes with a diplomatic tag. They want to talk to Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya."

"Sounds official." She said, irritated. "I'll be right there." She turned from her work, before making her way through the ship to the comm room on the other side of the war room. She hadn't gone through this room in some time – after the final battle on Earth, she spent most of her time in the lounge or the engine room. She'd even taken to sleeping in Jack's old bunk, just to be alone with her thoughts. She stepped up to the platform that would send her image instantaneously to whoever was requesting to speak with her, lost in thought. Her recollections of not being in the war room lead her back through her memories to the day she learned that her Captain, _her_ Shepard, was still alive and that is why she completely missed the image that formed in front of her. At least until the image spoke.

"Tali, dear."

The quarian woman looked up and nearly fell backward in surprise. "Admiral Raan?" She asked, her hands starting to twist and worry themselves in front of her as she greeted her fellow Admiral. "I am surprised to see you." She paused as her eyes narrowed in curiousity. "How are you speaking to me this way?"

"Admiral Hackett has graciously allowed me to come over to his vessel to communicate with one of the members of the Admiralty Board. Since, at least according to the rest of the galaxy, we are the leaders of our people." Her voice sounded very amused, and her eyes were almost twinkling at the youngest Admiral. "But though I have some official Fleet business to take care of, I am more concerned for you, Tali. How are you, dear?"

"I am fine, Admiral. Better than, in fact. How are you?" Even to Tali, her response sounded lame. But for some reason she couldn't quite define, she felt like she was a young girl, about to start her Pilgrimage, under the stern gaze of her aunt.

"Am I now only Admiral Raan to you, Tali?" She asked, and her voice held a note of sadness.

"What? Um, no, Adm- I mean." Her hands twisted around themselves as she tried to talk to the other quarian. "That is- you're m-my Auntie Raan."

"Good." The older woman responded with a smile. "I have…to apologize to you, Tali, dear. I fear that our decisions as admirals, to support the war, to not support the war…it put a strain on our relationship. I promised Rael I'd look out for you, keep an eye on you. Given what the reports have said about your actions on Earth…I'm not sure I've been doing the best job at that." Now Shaala'Raan's hands were twisting around themselves in an echo of the younger woman's. "I wish I had never supported Gerrell. If it hadn't been for your Commander Shepard…" She trailed off, before smiling slightly. "I have heard that he survived."

"Yes!" Tali said, and there was a wealth of emotion in that affirmation. "We are almost ready to get the Normandy back underway. We're heading straight for Earth."

"I see. I suspected that was the case." Now the older Admiral's voice changed again, resonating with eager delight - that tone of voice that says the speaker has a surprise for the listener. A big surprise, in fact, joined with the admission of knowledge long held, and long kept secret. "That actually brings me to the official reason I requested an opportunity to speak like this."

"What do you mean, Auntie Raan?"

"Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya. Per the interim leader of the quarian people, Zaal'Koris, you are hereby directed to resign your commission as Admiral of the fleet per the dissolution of the Admiralty Board. You are then requested to head to Earth with all due haste to take up the offices of Ambassador of the Quarian people. You are also asked to represent our people at the coming summit convened by Primarch Victus of the Turian Hierarchy." She sounded like she couldn't be happier, couldn't be prouder of the young woman standing virtually before her. She also sounded like she was reading off of a script. "Gerrel, Xen, Koris, and I had a meeting. We decided that now that we have peace, true peace, and a homeworld – that it might be better to go back to how things were before we were exiled. Koris has the respect and admiration of our civilians, so it made sense for him to be our leader – until we can figure out a more permanent solution. Gerrell and I will remain in charge of the Heavy and Patrol Fleets. Xen wants to found some research program – especially now that we are back on the homeworld. Which left us with….you, Tali, dear."

"A-ambassador?" The younger woman almost squeaked the word out. "M-me? But surely you or Admiral G-Gerrell…" She stammered out before her aunt interrupted her.

"Are not nearly as well-known among the turians, the krogan, the salarians, even the geth. Tali, you know the other species. You've fought and bled with them. You coordinated the Fleet for us while you were on the Citadel. You are perfect for the job. You've got more experience in diplomacy in just your three years since your pilgrimage than the rest of us have gained in a lifetime – the quarian people are too insular. But you, my wandering Tali…" She trailed off then, proud.

"O-ok." The younger quarian wrang her hands again, highly agitated. "But…but Ambassador…" She shook her head, unable to articulate all the reasons in her own mind that made her entirely unqualified for the position.

"Yes, Ambassador Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya." The quarian admiral nodded. "I expect you'll have a packet of information waiting for you soon from Zaal'Koris. We've dispatched a smaller vessel to Earth – they'll act as your staff once you arrive. You've _earned_ this, Tali." And her aunt's eyes twinkled beneath their mask. "Besides…this will make it very easy to be near a certain Commander when he wakes up…perhaps even be there at his very bedside. "

"Y-you know?" Tali stammered, once more the little girl in front of her beloved aunt. "I m-mean, I do care about him, he is my Captain. And my f-friend."

"Tali." The woman said sharply. "Will you stop lying to me?" She crossed her arms over her chest, as she used to when Tali was little, tapping her foot. "I _know._ Xen knows. Koris suspects and Gerrell is oblivious to anything that isn't a dreadnought." She chuckled softly then. "I'd be willing to bet that anyone who witnessed his defense of you at your hearing suspects there is more than just friendship there."

Tali did squeak then, looking down, clearly embarrassed. "You deserve to be happy, child." Her aunt continued softly. "Keelah…you deserve happiness. First your mother, then your father, the hearing, the war…I pray to the ancestors he survives, Tali – for you. The moment I saw him look at you, I knew. I knew he loved you as deeply as any man has ever loved a woman. And you…" She took a step forward, reaching out for her niece, though they could not touch. "To listen to you speak of him, to see you with him – as I said, only a fool would've missed how _you_ felt about him."

Tali's hand went to her mask then, as though trying to hide it from her aunt. "Y-you never said anything, Auntie Raan," she murmured softly. "I was trying so hard to hide it from you and the other admirals."

"Ah, but not all of those admirals were there at your birth, dear." She nodded once. "And I have used up about all the time that Admiral Hackett can allow me. I must go…and we're going to be setting out for Rannoch soon. We're going to survey the systems on our way, see how badly damaged their relays are." She paused. "Keelah se'lai."

"Keelah se'lai, Auntie Raan." Tali responded softly, stepping forward, closer to the holographic image of her aunt. "Tell Zaal'Koris, thank you and I accept this honor. And…I'm going to miss you, Auntie."

"Hmm." Came the response from the older woman, before she chuckled softly. "Your father would've hated him…and not just because he was human. Your mother though, I knew her well enough to say that she would've loved him." And with that, the image of the quarian admiral vanished.

Tali heaved a sob then, though it came out sounding like a laugh. "Thank you, Auntie Raan. Thank you."


End file.
